Tale of two halves leaves Iraola with plenty to ponder

Andoni Iraola’s first impression of his Liverpool squad is now complete. The overnight flight from Chicago to Merseyside is rarely a pleasant one, but the 45 minutes before take-off will have been the most uncomfortable. A 4-2 defeat to Leeds United in the Premier League Summer Series did more than end Liverpool’s perfect pre-season record; it exposed the chasm between the Reds’ first half and the second, and the manager will have to decide whether the gap is bridgeable before the transfer window closes.

First-half promise, second-half collapse

For 45 minutes at Soldier Field, Liverpool looked like the side Iraola envisaged when he arrived in May. Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, making their returns after missing the midweek win over Wrexham, combined to set the tempo. Isak’s pressing and Wirtz’s control lifted Liverpool above the sluggish displays that had preceded them, and a 2-0 half-time lead felt deserved. Luke Chambers’ finish after Szoboszlai’s corner was clinical, and Isak’s involvement in the buildup suggested the Swede is regaining the sharpness lost to injury and World Cup fatigue.

Then the substitutes arrived. Wirtz, Isak, Nyoni and Ngumoha departed, and within 25 minutes Leeds had equalised twice, taken the lead, and added a fourth. Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s two goals, plus strikes from Brenden Aaronson and Sean Longstaff, were not met with any Liverpool response. The intensity Iraola demands vanished; senior players like Curtis Jones and Federico Chiesa offered no leadership. The manager’s frustration is understandable: “We conceded two goals from set-pieces. We have to fix that and make sure we deal with them better,” Szoboszlai admitted.

Squad depth and transfer urgency collide

Iraola arrived in America with no incomings, a decision he made to assess his squad before committing to deals. What he saw in Chicago will shape those decisions. The lack of physicality and composure in the second half was alarming, particularly against a Leeds side that exploited set-piece after set-piece. The inexperienced backline—featuring Calvin Ramsay, Ifeanyi Ndukwe and Mor Talla Ndiaye—was stretched, and the absence of Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo and Alisson Becker for the tour only underlined the thinness of Liverpool’s spine.

The manager’s comments earlier in the week about August uncertainty remain pertinent: “I particularly hate this month of August because you start the competitions and you still don’t know if some of the players are going to leave and who’s going to come.” Iraola will meet van Dijk, Gakpo and Alisson this week, along with new signing Victor Munoz, who returns early from Spain’s World Cup campaign to integrate. The message from Chicago is clear: Liverpool need reinforcements, and fast.

Isak and Wirtz show the way forward

Amid the second-half chaos, the positives were easy to miss. Isak’s movement and pressing were a reminder of why Liverpool paid £75m for him last summer, while Wirtz’s intelligence in possession suggested the German can elevate Liverpool’s midfield creativity. Their 45 minutes together hinted at a partnership that could define Iraola’s first season—if the rest of the squad can match their intensity.

Yet the contrast between halves raises questions. Can Liverpool maintain the first-half standards when the games matter? The Premier League opener against Brighton is just over two weeks away, and Iraola will need to decide whether to gamble on youth or accelerate new signings before then. The manager’s assessment of his squad’s options will now be more urgent than ever.

Iraola’s pre-season audit is complete. The first half in Chicago was a statement of intent; the second was a warning. The question is whether Liverpool can silence that warning before the season starts, or whether the cracks exposed in the Windy City will widen under pressure.

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